[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 78 (Wednesday, April 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 20033]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10009]



[[Page 20033]]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 40-8027]


Decommissioning of Sequoyah Fuels Corporation Uranium Conversion 
Facility in Gore, Oklahoma: Notice of Intent To Conduct a Public 
Rescoping Meeting for Sequoyah Fuels Uranium Conversion Facility

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Conduct a Public Rescoping Meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will conduct a meeting 
to discuss the status of the environmental review of decommissioning 
activities at the Sequoyah Fuels Corporation (SFC) facility near Gore, 
Oklahoma. The NRC recently determined that some of the waste at the 
site could be reclassified as byproduct material (see Supplementary 
Information). The SFC license was subsequently amended to authorize 
SFC's possession of the reclassified material. This license amendment 
had the effect of transferring the regulatory oversight of site 
decommissioning activities from subpart E of 10 CFR part 20 (license 
termination requirements) to Appendix A of 10 CFR part 40 (concerning 
uranium mills and tailings). These changes will be discussed at the 
public meeting. Additionally, the NRC will request public comments on 
the effects the changes may have on human health and the environment. 
Ample time will be provided for public comment at the meeting, although 
comments and questions will generally be limited to the remediation of 
the SFC facility. This meeting is part of the continuing process to 
keep affected stakeholders and the public informed of plans, schedules 
and important issues related to the remediation of the SFC facility.

DATE/TIME: Tuesday, May 13, 2003, from 7 to 10 p.m. The environmental 
portion of this meeting will start at approximately 8 p.m.
    Place: Gore High School cafeteria, 1200 Highway 10N, Gore, 
Oklahoma.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Tadesse, Environmental and 
Performance Assessment Branch, Division of Waste Management, Office of 
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Mail Stop T-7J8, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 301-
415-6221; fax 301-415-5397; or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC has been preparing an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the decommissioning of the SFC uranium 
conversion facility in Gore, Oklahoma, and is holding this rescoping 
meeting to discuss changes to the EIS that may be needed due to the 
shift in regulatory oversight of the Sequoyah Fuels site corrective 
actions.
    From 1970 until 1993, the SFC uranium conversion facility operated 
under the authority of an NRC license issued pursuant to 10 CFR part 
40. The main process was the conversion of uranium oxide (yellowcake) 
to uranium hexafluoride. A second process, begun in 1987, consisted of 
the conversion of depleted uranium hexafluoride to uranium 
tetrafluoride.
    Sequoyah Fuels supplied formal notice of its intent to seek license 
termination in accordance with 10 CFR 40.42(e) in a letter dated 
February 16, 1993. Based on available information, at least some of the 
identified waste and contamination at the site was known to exceed 
NRC's radiological criteria for decommissioning. Therefore, SFC was 
required to remediate the site to meet NRC's radiological criteria for 
license termination in 10 CFR part 20. In 1998, the company submitted 
to NRC a site characterization report and a study of remediation 
alternatives. A decommissioning plan was submitted in 1999. The 
remediation alternative proposed at that time by SFC was an on-site 
disposal cell.
    In July 2002, the Commission concluded that some of the waste at 
the site could be reclassified as byproduct material, which is defined 
in Section 11e.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act as wastes from extraction 
or concentration of uranium or thorium from any ore processed for 
source material. Sequoyah Fuels submitted a request for a license 
amendment that would authorize its possession of this reclassified 
material and, on December 11, 2002, the NRC granted the license 
amendment request. Due to the reclassification of the waste, regulatory 
oversight of the decommissioning and remediation of the SFC facility 
was transferred from subpart E of 10 CFR part 20 (criteria for license 
termination) to Appendix A of 10 CFR part 40 (which includes criteria 
for the disposition of mill tailings or wastes). In accordance with 
part 40 requirements, SFC submitted a reclamation plan (January 2003) 
and will submit a groundwater corrective action plan. The remediation 
alternative proposed by SFC continues to be an on-site disposal cell, 
with an approach similar to that previously proposed under the license 
termination process. The option to take responsibility for long-term 
custodial care of the site would be provided first to the State of 
Oklahoma. Should the State decline this role, the Department of Energy 
(or other federal agency) would take custody of the site.
    The NRC is preparing an EIS to determine whether SFC's proposal for 
reclamation of the site is acceptable. Information from the reclamation 
plan and the groundwater corrective action plan will be used to 
reassess the potential impacts of the proposal under part 40 
regulations. The EIS will evaluate impacts such as effects on water 
resources, air quality, ecological resources, socioeconomic and 
community resources, human health, noise, and environmental justice. 
The EIS will also assess the proposed approach and alternatives, such 
as disposing of the contaminated material off-site in a licensed 
disposal facility. The NRC will consider the information and 
conclusions in the EIS in reaching its decision on the acceptability of 
the proposed approach.
    Previous scoping meetings were held on October 15, 1995, and 
October 17, 2000. The NRC has issued summary reports of both previous 
scoping processes.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of April 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence E. Kokajko,
Acting Chief, Environmental and Performance Assessment Branch, Division 
of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-10009 Filed 4-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P